The Sports Rumors

Thursday Night Football Preview

For the first time since 1990, two NFC teams with a record of 10-1 will be going up against each other in the regular season. Last time, it was the Giants vs. the Niners, a game which was an ugly slugfest to the finish. San Francisco managed to win 7-3, but it was New York who had the last laugh as they became Super Bowl Champions that season. Tonight’s game brings a clash of America’s team versus America’s quarterback. Brett Favre brings his young team, whose only loss was a week five touchdown defeat to division rival Chicago. The Packers have won their last 4 games by scoring at least 31 points in each contest and have given up only 15 points a game on average during a stretch of their last 5 games. An even more impressive stat is that they are 14-1 since last Thanksgiving. People, understand that they have had the best record in the past 365 days; that includes the Patriots and Colts. Point being; they’re hot right now. Dallas hasn’t been quiet either. They’ve put together incredible second halves in which they absolutely demolish their opponents. Tony Romo is playing at an elite level, one that Dallas fans have not seen since Troy Aikman in his prime. Terrell Owens is being the beast of a wideout that we all know he can be, when he’s not busy destroying a locker room of course. Marion Barber requires a minimum of three defenders to bring him down. And oh, don’t forget that their only loss has been to undefeated New England. Okay so we all know the big stats and hoopla about this game, like it hasn’t been hyped up enough. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty, see who has what advantages, and see what’s what.

Quarterbacks

Brett Favre: 3,356 yards, 22 TDs, 8 INTS, 68.5% Completion Percentage, 101.5 QB Rating

Tony Romo: 3,043 yards, 29 TDs, 13 INTS, 66.2% Completion Percentage, 105.3 QB Rating

This looks to be an epic battle that deserves every bit of hype it has received so far. You’re talking about a battle between two generations. You’re looking at, arguably, one of the three best quarterbacks in the history of the game going against the young stud who’s playing better than everyone except Tom Brady this year. On the field, neither one of these two has any physical advantage. They both see everything, make the right reads, throw the ball into tight spots and make plays with their feet when needed. However, I give a slight, SLIGHT, edge to Favre on this one based on his experience in big games and the fact that Dallas’ secondary isn’t all that good.

Advantage: Green Bay

Runningbacks

Ryan Grant: 4.6 YPC, 494 Yards, 2 TDs, 0 Fumbles

Marion Barber: 4.9 YPC, 715 Yards, 7 TDs, 1 Fumble

The stats on this one may be deceiving and show that the comparision between the two is closer than it really is. But make no mistake about it, Marion Barber is the superior runningback and the Cowboys have the far superior run game. Not to mention, Barber splits carries with Julius Jones. The Packers lack of a running game was reason to doubt them early on, but to be fair, they have picked it up with the emergence of Grant as of late.

Advantage: Dallas

Wide Receivers

Donald Driver: 832 Yards, 13.2 Per Catch, 2 TDs

Greg Jennings: 625 Yards, 16.0 Per Catch, 9 TDs

James Jones: 594 Yards, 14.9 Per Catch, 2 TDs

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Terrell Owens: 1093 Yards, 17.1 Per Catch, 13 TDs

Patrick Crayton: 482 Yards, 14.6 Per Catch, 5 TDs

Sam Hurd: 177 Yards, 16.1 Per Catch, 1 TD

When people think about the receiver matchup, first thing that will come to mind is “Dallas has TO. They have the better wideouts.” But before you jump to that conclusion, realize that Donald Driver is only 261 yards off of TO’s pace and one less catch. Also, Greg Jennings is a much better deep threat and overall receiver than Patrick Crayton is. Jennings stretches the field much like Owens does for Dallas. James Jones is also a solid young wideout who makes big catches in big moments. Sam Hurd hasn’t made any impact thus far. So if you’re looking at the best wide receiver in the game, of course Dallas has the advantage. But as far as wide receivers as a group, Green Bay has more diversity and depth.

Advantage: Green Bay

Offensive Line:

Chad Clifton, Daryn Colledge, Scott Wells, Jason Spitz, Mark Tauscher

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Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Marc Columbo

Green Bay is currently ranked number one as far as pass protection in the entire NFL. Their adjusted sack rate is 3.3% (this rate is composed of sacks per pass attempt adjusted for opponent, down, and distance). Considering how everyone KNOWS the Packers love to pass, this is very impressive. Their run protection is not very good; ranked 26^th overall but that comes as no surprise considering how rarely they ran the first 6 games of the season. More importantly, the run protection stat is irrelevant because the Packers run in nickel situations. They set up three wideouts and spread defenses out, leading to nice draw plays or pitches. The Cowboys pass protection is ranked 8^th in the league with an adjusted sack rate of 4.4%. They are amongst the top in run protection with a ranking of 7, gaining an average of 4.56 yards per carry. You have to figure that if you can pick up almost 5 yards per carry, on AVERAGE, things are going to be flowing pretty smoothly on offense.

Considering the styles of offense for both teams, I still give the advantage to Dallas. It’s a lot harder to stop a team with balanced running and passing than it is to stop a one dimensional team.

Advantage: Dallas

Tight Ends

Donald Lee: 39 Catches, 468 Yards, 12.0 Per Catch, 4 TDs

Jason Witten: 59 Catches, 750 Yards, 12.7 Per Catch, 6 TDs

There is no question here that Jason Witten is the better tight end. However, in the Green Bay passing system, Donald Lee is pretty darn good. Still, the Cowboys have the clear advantage here as tight ends usually have field days against the Packers linebackers.

Advantage: Dallas

Defensive Line

Dallas has the much better run defense as they give up less than 4 yards a carry to opposing runningbacks. Green Bay gives up slightly more than 4 (4.18 to be exact). The Cowboys have piled up 30 sacks thus far and the Packers 32. DeMarcus Ware has been a beast coming off the end but Aaron Kampman is no joke either. Ware plays in a 3-4 style defense which gives him the freedom to move around more like a linebacker than an end. Kampman plays a base 4-3, so he’s always going to be coming off the end. Still, Kampman has more sacks (11 to Ware’s 9) as well as only 6 less solo tackles than Ware. As great as Ware is, Kampman gets overlooked far too much because of who he plays for. (Okay damnit. I got busy at work and now it’s 4:30 so I’m running out of time to detail each position. Here is the summarized portion of the rest of the defense..) However, the secondary of the Cowboys gets scorched early and often. Roy Williams may be a solid hitter, but he has not matured into a consistent cover safety. If you watch him on every play, you’ll see that he takes an unnecessary number of risks. He bites on play action very hard and that’s why he gets burned at least once a game. Terrence Newman is a hard hitting, shut down corner but he can’t handle all three wide outs on his own. Green Bay brings Al Harris, a rough and tough physical corner who will put his fist in the grill of TO all night. I am really eager to watch that matchup and see if TO can stay composed and use his speed to shake Harris. Charles Woodson (game time decision) would be a huge help if he plays this game. I’d give the advantage, slightly, to the Packers when it comes to linebacking corps. They’re a solid young group of guys who bring hard hits and pressure on the quarterback, led by AJ Hawk.

D-Line Advantage: Dallas

Linebacker Advantage: Green Bay

Secondary Advantage: Green Bay

Special Teams: Green Bay

Prediction:

Dallas will get off to a slow start and Green Bay will jump ahead early. Dallas should catch up by halftime with the score being Green Bay 17-13. Green Bay will end up winning the game though in a high scoring affair, as their wide receivers and some guy named Brett Favre will be just too much.

FINAL SCORE:

GREEN BAY: 36

DALLAS: 27

Final Thoughts on Taylor, the NFL, and Ill Advised Comments

6:05 AM Tuesday Morning.

My alarm clock ring got louder and louder.  Turned it off.  Damn, the morning came quick.  I rolled over and fumbled for my blackberry, a terrible habit (or addiction if you ask those close to me) that I have.  The red light was blinking which meant I had either an email or a text message.  Nothing out of the ordinary since I go to bed by 11pm and emails and texts tend to fly in around midnight or 5am.  I click the scroll button and see two text messages, both from ESPN. 

I felt a knot in my throat because the only time I get text messages from ESPN is when it’s breaking news.  Given the fact that Sean Taylor was shot the day before, I knew what these two messages were about to read.  I lay back for a few seconds, then sat up and clicked the text messages. 

“Sean Taylor Dies – Redskins S Sean Taylor has died one day after being shot in the leg.  He was 24.”

I didn’t really have a thought in my mind at that point as I took my clothes to the bathroom, showered and got ready.  Then I sat down to have a cup of coffee and I thought about Taylor, and how he’s only a year older than me.  I thought about my best friends, and how 3 out of the 5 are all the age of 24.  I thought about how in less than six months, I too will be 24.  Maybe the thought of Taylor being gone from this world forever wasn’t hitting me right away because I’ve been around death so much this year.  I lost my father unexpectedly in February, my alma mater had the worst killing massacre in United States history, my best friend’s grandmother passed a few months ago, and now one of my favorite players on the team I have loved for my entire life had died; suddenly. 

I flipped through the channels, NBC Morning News, FOX, ABC, CBS, ESPN, and CNN and they all were covering the same story.  Each network was classy enough to not discuss Taylor’s past, but discuss how he was a father and a son.  It is not uncommon for network television to try and drum up as much negative propaganda as they can on an athlete or entertainer for the sake of the story.  The TV Stations were, for a day, just and fair in their reporting. 

I drove to work and as I heard people talk more and more about Sean Taylor, and how he had turned his life around since the birth of his daughter, the more saddened I became.  Taylor was a private individual who didn’t relish the media spotlight, but those who knew him well such as NBC’s George Michaels talked about how he’d be beaming around Redskins Park with his daughter in arms.  Michaels talked about how Taylor put his daughter in Michaels’ lap and said, “You hold her, you can be her Godfather.”  Clinton Portis and Santana Moss talked about how all Taylor would talk about was the new things and phases his daughter was going through.  Hearing all this made me extremely sad and disheartened because he obviously had enormous amounts of love for his daughter, and she will never grow up to know him. 

Sean Taylor was not a perfect human being; but who really is?  He was a young man with gifted athletic abilities.  He was a fierce competitor and a team player who wanted nothing more than to win as a member of the Redskins.  He was loved and respected by his teammates and coaches.  More importantly, he was a father to a little girl, a son to a mother and father, and a fiancé to the mother of his child.  He was only 24 years old and was starting to mature and reach his potential.  It is a tragedy, a true misfortune, that we will never again get to see Taylor the player or more importantly, Sean Taylor; the man.

I will be honest with you guys.  I didn’t know how to go about writing about Taylor.  I had and still have so many different ideas and thoughts going through my mind, and it is simply too difficult to accurately put it down in one piece.  So instead, I wanted to touch on a few subjects.

The NFL’s Decision to Continue Games as Scheduled This Weekend

I find it disturbing that a member of a league can pass away on a Tuesday, but the games must continue on the following Sunday.  What’s more disturbing to me is that I feel if this had been a more well known or likeable player, such as the top 3 or 4 quarterbacks that come to everybody’s minds, would the NFL still continue as scheduled?  I find it hard to believe that they would.  I understand how keeping things moving is important but I don’t think that sacrificing one Sunday of games, emphasis on games, would be asking too much of the league.  I know that there are financial implications, some of which I may not even be aware of.  However, my suggestion would have been to simply push EVERYTHING back one week.  So instead of the Redskins and Bills playing this week, or the Packers and Cowboys playing this week, all that be pushed to next week.  (Speaking of the Redskins, how does the league expect them to attend a funeral of a fallen teammate on most likely Thursday or Friday, and still be ready for a game on Sunday.  Isn’t that a bit harsh?)  The playoffs could also be pushed back by one Sunday and same with the Super Bowl. 

Remembering and mourning a member or a league and organization is something I thought Commissioner Roger Goodell would find of importance.  Pushing the games back wouldn’t be a big sacrifice for fans because their tickets would still be valid the following week.  Maybe I don’t know enough about the contracts with television companies and so forth, but I would have appreciated and commended the league had they taken the sensitive and compassionate step of making an exception to their “stick to the schedule” rules for one week.  I know if Taylor was some 10 year hall of famer, the league would lean towards a postponement of games.

Ignorant Comments Being Made at the Worst Possible Times

I talked to my sister on the phone last night and she told me that her professor made the comments, “Well, Taylor wasn’t exactly a role model.”  These kinds of insensitive comments are what drive me up the wall.  If you were 17 years old and followed with a camera or covered by newspaper reporters all the time, then paid over $20 million by your 20^th birthday, you’d bound to have some things caught on tape that you aren’t proud of also.  I went to Virginia Tech and was a good student, graduated without ever getting arrested, and now have a successful job.  But Lord knows that there were fights and brawls that I got into that I’d be embarrassed about if I were a public figure.  If a camera followed me around, I wouldn’t be seen as a “role model”.  One of my best friends is now a successful engineer, graduated the same time as me.  He has a DUI on his record.  Doesn’t mean he’s not a good person or a “role model”. Who are our role models?  The President of the United States?  The two guys who have run our country the past 16 years have committed adultery and been known liars.  So don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house is what I’m getting at.  Sean Taylor made mistakes; so did you.  Only difference is, this professor didn’t have cameras or media members following his every step; quite frankly because no one gives a rats ass about who he is.  Michael Wilbon also made some insensitive remarks but I am not going to divulge too much into those because there is no point in addressing ignorance.  I simply wanted to address this one instance that I know has been replicated across the country in different settings. 

That’s all I got folks.  Tomorrow, I guess I get back to the action in sports and move on.  The Green Bay Packers – Dallas Cowboys matchup will be broken down position by position.  All 22 starters.  You’ll be surprised who I got winning this one and by how much.  Until then… 

Rest in Peace Sean Taylor

You were a champion in our eyes.

“I just take this job very seriously. It’s almost like, you play a kid’s game for a king’s ransom. And if you don’t take it serious enough, eventually one day you’re going to say ‘Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that. So I just say, I’m healthy right now, I’m going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?’ And that’s whatever it is, whether it’s eating right or training myself right, whether it’s studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself.”

SEAN TAYLOR SHOT, IN A COMA

UPDATE 3:23PM

Courtesy of Redskins Insider, Jason La Canfora

Sean Taylor “Clinging To Life”

Richard Sparpstein, who has represented Sean Taylor in legal matters in the past and is a friend of the family, said moments ago that the player’s life is hanging in the balance in the hospital. Sharpstein, speaking from the hospital, said Taylor is “nonresponsive and unconscious” and the doctors are “worried about a possible brain injury or death.”

Sharpstein, who has been with Taylor’s family at the hospital much of the day, said that there are major worries that Taylor may have lost oxygen to the brain, and that no other procedures are planned for right now. “They’re waiting to see if he comes to,” Sharpstein said. He was shot in the groin/thigh area near the femoral artery and lost copious amounts of blood. He was airlifted to the trauma center and endured several hours of surgery, Sharpstein said.

Taylor is in intensive care, Sharpstein said, and his girlfriend and child were not injured in the attack. Sharpstein said Taylor was sleeping when he heard a noise in the living room. The intruders were at his bedroom and Taylor reached for a machete or other form of knife he keeps nearby in case of emergency, and two shots were fired, with one striking his leg.

“Right now he’s clinging to life and we’re all praying he makes it,” Sharpstein said.

—

UPDATE 2:54PM

Taylor is out of surgery, but still in a coma. The outlook seems to be positive. Stay tuned.

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UPDATE 1:26PM

Sean Taylor had to be revived twice and is currently in a coma according to WTEM AM 980

Redskins tight end Chris Cooley told the media that his teammate, safety Sean Taylor, is in a coma after six hours of surgery today.

Per Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, Cooley said that the latest update he heard about Taylor’s condition was that Taylor spent six hours in surgery after being rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound and is now in a coma.

“It’s a tough thing right now,” Cooley said. “I feel for so sorry for Sean and his family.”

Cooley said that Santana Moss’s mother is at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Taylor was taken after he was shot, and that Moss’s mom gave the team an update from there. Moss and Taylor both grew up in Miami and played at the University of Miami.

La Canfora reports that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder will make a statement to the media this afternoon.

11:43 AM

SEAN TAYLOR “FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE”

Redskins safety Sean Taylor has been shot in Florida, a source with knowledge of the situation tells us. He is in critical condition at a Miami-area hospital and, per the source, is “fighting for his life”.

Taylor spent Sunday night in his Florida home with his girlfriend and infant daughter. A robbery occurred, and Taylor was shot in the leg by one of the invaders.

The bullet severed his femoral artery. He currently is in surgery.

Taylor, the fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft, was in Florida to get a second opinion on an injured knee.

-Thanks to Colin for providing us with this story as well as ProFootballTalk.com

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Wow. It has been over a week since I have gotten the chance to post. Been extremely busy with work and some social events but fear not; I’m back. A lot has happened since the last time we spoke. Dallas and Green Bay showed that they are the class of the NFC and will square off in the coming week. LSU learned how to pronounce ARKANSAS; mainly because Darren McFadden gave them a lesson that they won’t soon forget. Missouri is number one in the nation?! Virginia Tech kicked Virginia in the teeth and taught them not to talk badly about their superiors. The Washington Redskins found a way to outgain an opponent by almost 300 yards, in one half, and still lose. Devin Hester is the greatest return man in NFL history. Frank Caliendo is great at doing impressions, but his show is a flop.

Let’s talk college football. The BCS Rankings were announced and they were as follows:

1. Missouri
2. West Virginia
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Kansas
6. Virginia Tech
7. LSU
8. USC
9. Oklahoma
10. Florida

I can’t argue with that. The only change I’d make is have Kansas behind VT and LSU. But I can also understand them being where they’re at. This has been a crazy season but when it’s all said and done, West Virginia is going to play Ohio State, and beat Ohio State. The final rankings will look something like:

1. West Virginia
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Virginia Tech
5. LSU

I will say this though. College football is in dire need of a playoff system because it is ridiculous to think of West Virginia as potential national champions. I can’t accept a team that got punished by South Florida, who’s ranked in the upper teens somewhere, as college football’s best team. I just can’t. It’s looking like the title game is going to be WVU vs. Ohio State and to be honest, brutally honest, I won’t view either one of them as the best team regardless of who wins. In an eight team playoff system, with the current seedings, WVU wouldn’t get out of the first freaking round. Now I know that the BCS isn’t going away because it makes more money. I realize that, and I’m not going to write a 10 page paper on the benefits of a playoff. However, I can’t sit here and say that WVU or Ohio State is the best team in the nation when in fact I know that if you throw the top 8 teams in the mix for a two round playoff concluding with a championship game, LSU or Georgia would have the best shot at winning. A playoff would look something like this:

Round 1                           Round 2                      Championship

USC @ Missouri              LSU @ Missouri            LSU @ Georgia

LSU @ WVU                   Georgia @ Ohio State

VT @ Ohio State

Kansas @ Georgia

Also, it is ludicrous that some conferences have championship games while others don’t. How the hell that was decided is beyond me. College football is light years behind college basketball and all professional sports when it comes to scheduling and common sense.

I’m not going into too much depth today about the NFL weekend, mainly because yesterday lacked star power and interest. However, I want to show you something Don Banks from SI posted.

Down 19-10 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter, Gibbs bypassed a chip shot field goal to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Bucs’ 4. Clinton Portis got stuffed for no gain on the play, and Washington could have used those three points when Jason Campbell was intercepted in the end zone by Brian Kelly with 17 seconds to go in the 19-13 Redskins loss.

If the Skins had taken the field goal earlier, they would have been in position to tie the game at 19-19 and force overtime later. The play that Campbell was picked off on was a second-and-10 from the Bucs’ 16 — putting Washington easily within Shaun Suisham’s range.

If you are going to submit analysis for games, do your audience a favor and watch the entire game; not snippets from Sportscenter or the FOX halftime show. And don’t do the hypothesis style “If the Skins had taken the field goal earlier…then they would have been in position” crap. What are you, a twelve year old science student? Yeah, obviously IF the Redskins played perfectly all season, THEN they would be undefeated. That doesn’t mean jack and neither does your god awful analysis. Had Banks followed the basic rule of objective journalism (watch the game you’re going to comment on), he would have known that Washington was dominating that entire drive; moving the ball at will. The Redskins had the Bucs guessing between pass and run, and were successful at doing both. They came out of halftime with a lot of steam after a dismal first half. To stop that drive and kick a field goal when all the momentum is in your favor, and while Bucs defensive players are visibly exhausted, would not be good coaching. Yes, looking back, you would have had three points and things might have been different. But at that juncture in the game, it made the most sense to continue to move the ball and try for a conversion on fourth down. A touchdown on that drive would have sent the Bucs much more into a panic than a measily field goal would have. So to Don Banks, and all the other jackasses who think they are great analysts because they write up a paragraph after watching one or two highlights narrated by Terry Bradshaw, learn to see the big picture and how things work in the scheme of things before you open your mouths. I don’t call out coaches and their decisions for games that I don’t watch. Neither should you.

And since today is Monday, a rainy one at that, and I am in a rainy Monday mood, I am going to take this time to launch a new page on this site. It will be dubbed, The Jackass Den. Each time I feel someone does or says something that warrants me calling them a jackass, I will add them to the list. Don Banks will be the first on the list and believe me, there will be many more. Look for that page a little later. Enjoy the power rankings, and look for much more from me this week.

NFL Power Rankings Week 12

NFL Weekly Picks

I’ve put this set of picks together from my cell phone while sitting at Washington Dulles Airport. Hardest thing I’ve ever done… in my life.

Update: Apparently, my site is being a pain in the ass and isn’t accepting a lot of stuff from my phone so I’m attaching a link that you can use to view the picks. Sorry for the inconvenience guys. Follow the link below to my picks.

Turn the Page-Close the Chapter-Move On

“I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to be positive about this subject.” - Mark McGwire

Quite frankly, I’ve had enough. There are times when events or situations take place for which justice needs to be served. There are circumstances for which an intermediary is needed to settle things so that all parties feel that a fair conclusion has been reached. The Barry Bonds indictment and possible jail time is not one of those situations.

First off, let me make a few things perfectly clear. I don’t think Barry Bonds is a good human being. I wouldn’t want to be his friend or hang out. I think he’s an arrogant, moody, pompous prick to be blunt. I think that there have been numerous situations where he could have handled himself with more class than he has shown. For years, he was a rude individual to reporters from the media who were just trying to do their job and ask the star athlete questions. I’m not talking about the post steroid accusations. I’m talking about before that. I’m talking about when he wasn’t 260 pounds with a head the size of an 18 pound bowling ball. Whatever his reasons may have been for being impolite is irrelevant. The mere fact that he was unapproachable to many is irrelevant. His character and public demeanor is irrelevant.

The fact of the matter is that we cannot pick and choose who we want to persecute and go after based on their looks, attitude, nationality or race. We need to go by the specifics and the whole story. So let’s talk facts.

Fact number one says that it is moronic to think that the vast majority of baseball players during the “Steroid Era” were not using some sort of performance enhancing substances. It was called the Steroids Era for a reason; not because three guys used and the rest of the league didn’t. It is immature to think that people were not experimenting with such substances. I don’t care if you’re as straight edged as Charlie Brown. If the guys you are competing with for a roster spot are getting healthier or stronger quicker than you are because they are using, you’re going to either start using too or start filling out applications for another profession. That’s as clear as it gets.

Fact number two says that baseball knew about this all along and they turned a blind eye to it. Baseball ratings were at all time highs while McGuire and Sosa battled for the single season homerun record, followed by Bonds setting it in 2003. Do you really think that baseball was going to step up and say “Wait! Everybody stop. There is some illegal stuff going on here. We need to stop with the selling of the jerseys, the high TV ratings, and the interest in the sport and make sure everything is clean and ethical.” Absolutely not. They took a chance; rolled the dice. They thought that either they can put this problem off till later, or hope that it gets swept under the rug without people finding out. They were just as arrogant and full of themselves as we accuse Bonds to be. They took you, me, and the rest of the public to be fools. And for those of you who are naïve to think that baseball didn’t know, and I know there are some of you out there, let me paint this picture for you.

Colin has a house. He’s letting Shaun crash in his basement for a year. Everything looks good from the outside and the house is decorated really nicely. The lawn is nicely kept, the driveway is freshly paved, and there are no cracks in the brick front or the windows. Picture perfect house. Colin comes down unexpectedly one day and sees Shaun slinging cocaine out the back of the basement door. Now Shaun is making tons of money because he’s the best dope dealer on the block, and Colin starts getting money out of it for staying quiet and letting him do what he needs to do. Do you think Colin is going to make a lot of noise if he’s getting an extra 10 G’s a month for not saying anything?

Same concept. Bud Selig knew. Of course he knew. His top players, the Bonds-McGuires-Sosas, were the best dope dealers on the block. Baseball was getting their cut because of the increased interest in the homerun chase. Why squeal?

And again, as bad as steroids are, I don’t have a problem if baseball addresses it as a mistake and comes forward along with Bonds as being the enabler of the problem. But to sit there and get the government involved and put together four years of investigation to go after your dope boy? That’s wrong. For Bud Selig to turn his back on Bonds for the past several years is wrong. For everyone to make Barry Bonds as the scapegoat of the entire problem while Giambi, Sosa, and McGuire quietly go about their business is wrong. The government is trying to bring justice to this whole situation but the ironic part about it is the way they’re doing so is unjust. Taking Barry Bonds and making him the poster boy for steroids and what was wrong with baseball is not only unfair, but immoral.

And again, let me reiterate so I don’t get stupid emails calling me a steroid-condoning prick; steroids and any form of cheating in a sport is not the thing to do. I don’t condone it. But enough with everyone playing the morality card as if we’re all angels who run a straight route our whole lives. The same people who are criticizing Bonds, like Chicago Sun Times beat writer Jay Marrioti, are the same ones who collectively said that Shawn Merriman of the San Diego Chargers should be the defensive player of the year even after he was suspended for half the season due to steroid use. They are the same people who quickly dismiss the notion of putting an asterisk next to the New England Patriots perfect season, even though they were caught cheating and punished for it; but definitely want an asterisk next to Bonds homerun record even though he was never caught cheating.

Do you really think that the NFL is a clean sport where 350 pound lineman can run 4.8 second 40 yard dashes, and guys can come back from a grade three knee sprain in a matter of a week or two when in reality, it’s a month long injury at minimum? You really think that NFL players can be that big and that strong naturally? Don’t kid yourself. Quit throwing the “Steroids sets a bad example for the kids” card around so freely, just so that you can justify Bonds being put behind bars of banned from the game. You know what sets a bad example for the kids? I’ll tell you.

• Gambling on a sport (MLB)
• Most popular player found guilty of dogfighting (NFL)
• Reinstating repeat marijuana-use offenders into the league (NFL)
• Steroid using player, who was found guilty of it, winning Defensive Player of the Year (NFL)
• Having starting point guards blackmail their head coach (NBA)
• Sexual harassment cases in the front office (NBA)
• Players’ posse shooting up strip clubs (NFL and NBA)
• Coaches using cameras to cheat (NFL)
• Quarterbacks getting actresses pregnant while dating other super models. (Yeah, you’re damn right I just went there. I don’t care if it’s Tom Brady or not) (NFL)

Since we’re all so conscious and adamant about what’s good for the kids and about being role models, let’s open our eyes to other things that we either ignore or put on the backburner after a few days or weeks blow by. If you’re going to walk around with a stick and discipline people, don’t slam the stick down on certain people because you don’t like them, and lightly tap others on the wrist. That’s not fair.

The steroids problem in baseball was a terrible predicament. It is something that I’m sure, in hindsight, baseball regrets having let happen. There are a lot of things not only baseball would have done differently, but Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa would have done differently as well. However, if we want to move on with the sport and have it rehabilitate itself, we need to close the chapter on that era. There were steps being taken to instill a stiffer drug testing policy. The repeat users are being weeded out. The steroids era was looking like it was put to a close and a new era, “The Post Steroids Era”, was beginning.

But just like always, the MLB in conjunction with the government have stepped in and basically hit rewind on the whole drama. Going after Bonds doesn’t solve anything now. It’s a far stretch to think a jury will find him guilty. And suppose that they do; Then what. What are you going to do? Pretend that he didn’t break the record? Once something has been broken, justly or unjustly, it’s broken. You are not going to convince me or anyone else who is into sports that Hank Aaron is still the homerun king. He’s not. You can’t undo the past.

Baseball had a great story this year with the Yankees surging back the way they did and the season finishing with the Red Sox winning their second title this decade. There are lots of great players that are on the trade block and teams will be realigning soon. There is so much to look forward to for the sport but now we’ve all gone back into the debate mode regarding steroids.

I look at this like when two divorced parents finally get back on good terms and the child is starting to feel comfortable again. There is a sense of calmness in the air giving one the impression that “hey, everything is going to be alright now.” Then, one of the parents brings up something nasty from the past and they get back to fighting. Congratulations to the MLB and the United States Government. You have managed to throw fuel on a dying fire; once again.

“I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to be positive about this subject.” - Mark McGwire

Who would have thought that McGwire’s famous remarks in 2005 would make the most sense in 2007.

NFL Playoff Chase

As a Washington Redskins fan, I am faced with the annual disappointment of not seeing my team listed in playoff scenarios or playoff races that usually are put out by ESPN and other sports websites in the final weeks of the regular season. For me, the playoff chase usually lasts from week one to week six. Then it’s all over. But since this is my site, and I run the show, I’m going to put up my own playoff race segment showcasing divisional and wildcard races. Yeah I know there are seven games left but who decided that you can only have a playoff race with 5 or 4 games remaining. When there are only 16 games in a season and you’re already past the halfway mark, everyone is focused on one thing; how many wins do I need to make the playoffs? Well now, I will provide you with that info before others. When looking at the playoff chase chart that I made, you’ll notice that there are sections called:

Division (GR) and Conference (GR)

All that means is thus far, the team’s division record is so and so and they have this many division games remaining. Same thing for the conference. Take Dallas for example. They have gone 3-0 in their division with 3 division games left and 6-0 in their conference with 6 conference games left to play.

I thought it’d be important to include that stuff because as the season gets closer and closer to the end, tiebreakers and conference records come into play. If two teams are tied for a wild card spot and they never faced each other, the conference record is the tiebreaker. I’ll shut up now and let you check it out.

*NFL Power Rankings are listed below the playoff chase*

NFL Power Rankings Week 11